May 19, 2017
23 Iyar 5777  


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    Parshat Behar-Bechukotai
Candle Lighting at 7:44 PM
 
A Torah Persona
 
Parshat Bechukotai begins with the words,  אם בחוקותי תלכו -- "if you walk in the way of my laws...." What is the origin of the word בחוקותי?  The first Lubavitcher Rebbe notes that there are two different ways in which we receive Torah. The simplest and most common way is through writing -- כתיבה -- ink on parchment. When a scribe writes with ink and creates words with his quill, the ink remains on the parchment but separate from it. The second way is engraved in stone. The luchot were not written on parchment but etched in stone, called חקיקה. The Alter Rebbe explains that the word בחקותי comes from this second type of Torah, Torah that is carved into your persona through חקיקה, not just added on through כתיבה. Hashem is telling us that we should follow the Torah as בחקותי -- as if it is carved into ourselves as part of our natural identities, not just an add-on or a complement to our lives.  

With one week left of classes, we begin to reflect on the past year and look with pride on the learning and experiences that we have carved into our personalities. I hope that everyone in school has experienced deep learning and meaningful experiences which are not separate from our personalities but that have become entwined with and transformed our personalities.

Thank you to the entire Highlites staff for another stellar year.  A special thank you to the outgoing faculty advisor Rabbi Danny Kroll for shepherding a sometimes unruly flock to great productivity and creativity. And a special thank you to our seniors as well. Thank you to Editor-in-Chief, Alec S. Gelman, along with Ariel Schneider, Gabi Frohlich, Aaron Senfeld, Maurice Bensmihen, Jonah Rose, and M.A. Samilow.

Sincerely,
Rabbi Jonathan Kroll
Head of School
Upcoming Events
  Wed. May 24  
Yom Yerushalayim
Senior Dinner
 
Fri. May 26  
Last Day of Third Trimester
Student Leadership Awards Banquet  
Good and Welfare 

Condolences
Mr. BenZion Halpern on the passing of his beloved mother, Eva Brecher.
Mr. Dani Bengio on the passing of his beloved mother, Miriam Benhi. 
 
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KYHS Hosts Engineering Fair
Consul General of Israel Presents KYHS Engineering Students with Prestigious Award
Graphic by Daniel Gross ('19) and Yosef Linzer ('18)
 Article by Sara Deichman ('19)

Theodor Herzl famously said, "If you will it, it is no dream".  Four years ago, when a meeting between the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education and the administration was held to further STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programming at KYHS, the current achievements the school holds in the realm of STEM were dreams that no one could have imagined would be attained a few short years later. The first place finish in the Technion Institute Rube Goldberg competition was unimaginable for KYHS student engineers and the STEM program as a whole. The CIJE engineering fair this past Monday embodied the passion for engineering in schools ranging from south Florida to North Carolina. Attendees of the fair undoubtedly understood that the adage "if you will it, it is no dream" has proven true with the remarkable student effort and accomplishments.

CIJE works to fund and fashion the curriculum for their engineering program within Jewish day schools each year. Students in the program designed, coded, and created the very projects put on display at the fair. David Posnack Jewish Day School, American Hebrew Academy of North Carolina, Donna Klein Jewish Academy, and Scheck Hillel of North Miami Beach joined KYHS in presenting their students' engineering projects. Projects ranged from a massaging shoe to an automatic toilet seat raiser. The turnout was fantastic as 36 Jewish student groups were able to show off their hard work to friends and family.

The Consul General of Israel to Florida and Puerto Rico, Lior Haiat, was in attendance to present an award to KYHS students, Michal Amar, Max Davis, Ty Kay, Josh Bernten, Noah Bernten, and Ethan Loskove for their victory in the Technion competition. Recipient Max Davis said, "Winning the Rube Goldberg contest was a huge accomplishment. Not only because of winning the actual competition, but just because we were able to see all our hard work come to fruition after putting many hours of arduous labor into the project. And while it became onerous at times it stands to show what a little commitment and cooperation can achieve."

It was a privilege for students to hear from the Consul General, and an incredible experience for the student engineers to be singled out by the Consul General.  After hearing from the Mr. Haiat, Judy Lebovits, Vice President of CIJE, addressed the student body and guests. She kicked off the program by discussing the expansion the CIJE program has undergone in south Florida.  The program was a success and big plans for the future are in the works. This is certain as Dr. Yosef Wolf, who served as faculty advisor to the Rube Goldberg competitors said, "the energy and excitement for our robotics, engineering, and computer science program has been beyond our expectations and we are hoping events like today's conference will continue to help that excitement grow."

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Arabic Party
Skits and Games Put Students' Foreign Language Prowess on Display
Graphic by Liora Mayer ('20) and Sydney Freedman ('20)
 Interview by Max C. Wiederhorn ('18)

Mrs. Peretz's Arabic classes recently went on a field trip and had an end of the year party where students from different grades had the opportunity to put what they have learned over the course of the year into practice. Highlites writer Max C. Wiederhorn ('18) had the opportunity to sit down with Ty Kay ('18) to discuss Arabic class and this week's get together.

Max C. Wiederhorn: What is your favorite part about learning Arabic?
Ty Kay: My favorite part about Arabic class is when my family goes to Israel and I try and read the signs in Arabic and when I'm actually able to do so - it makes me very happy.

MCW: Is it true that your class had an Arabic party?
TK: Yes, this is true.

MCW: Can you give us a little more details about what you did?
TK : The party consisted of various food items, which can be found in Arab countries including pita and falafel as well as a different skits by students in different grades, which everyone enjoyed.

MCW: What was the objective of the party?
TK: We just wanted to have fun and have more practice with Arabic, so we decided to have an Arabic party.

MCW: Yosef Linzer ('18), described the party as "Lit". Do you share a similar sentiment?
TK: It was straight fire!
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Self Defense
2 Day Self Defense Course Draws Rave Reviews from Students
Graphic by Mayrav Saketkhou ('20) and Liora Mayer ('20)
Article by Max C. Wiederhorn ('18)

The Akiva Splaver ('18) led "Life Skills Club" recently hosted a self defense class for KYHS students over two lunch periods. The club brought in the experienced John Riddle, a retired SWAT team sniper, police sergeant and karate master. The course taught students many self defense skills including choke-hold escapes, defensive takedowns, and techniques for avoiding dangerous situations. KYHS students found the course to be both informative and helpful.  Dan Jacoby ('18) exclaimed "With my new self defense moves, I've never felt more safe!" The self defense course was available to all KYHS members, as Rabbi Danny Kroll and Mrs. Mirzoeff rolled up to the self defense event, with Mrs. Mirzoeff even wearing a traditional Karate gi.  It is safe to say that the KYHS self defense initiative is something that would have made Mr. Splaver's personal hero, Mr. Miyagi, proud!
Graphic by Akiva Stadlan ('19)
Advice from Alec Gelman ('17)


Dear Alec,
As a soon to be graduate, do you have any advice or words of wisdom for us underclassmen?
Sincerely,
Help's On The Derech

Dear HOTD,
Plan your time accordingly. Throughout my high school career, I juggled all sorts of extracurricular activities both inside and outside of school, such as Bnei Akiva Snif, Highlites, Flag Football, and the Spring Comedy. Many of these activities conflicted, yet I was able to participate meaningfully in all of them. The key is communication: if you plan out your schedule and tell the club leader/advisor when you can or cannot attend their club, they will most likely be more willing to cut you slack than if you simply ditch without telling them where you are. I hope that helps and I wish you all the best!
-Alec
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Goodbye Seniors
We Pay Tribute to 7 Graduating Highliters
Graphic by Highlites Staff
Article by Rabbi Danny Kroll

This is the final student-made Highlites of the school year, which means that it is time to say goodbye to our beloved senior Highliters who will be walking down the aisle at graduation in three short weeks.  Please join us as we pay tribute to seven beloved members of the Highlites family.

Alec Gelman: Alec served as our editor-in-chief this year.  His calm demeanor, attention to detail and love of the Hamilton soundtrack ensured that the quality of our publication remained top notch as students were able to work in a positive environment which fostered creativity.  Alec's insistence that experienced staff members teach new members how to make graphics was just one way he demonstrated his dedication to KYHS and Highlites. The editor-in-chief's imprint is on each and every edition of Highlites and Alec deserves the bulk of the credit for another successful year of our spectacular student run publication. We will miss Alec as he is off to Israel and then Brandeis University.

Gabi Frohlich: Gabi's work on Highlites banners are some of the best work this publication has ever seen.  Gabi is a talented artist, using both traditional media and computer graphics.  It was our loss and yearbook's gain this year when Gabi was made editor of the yearbook and was unable to spend as much time on Highlites.  We will always be in awe of Gabi's vision and how quickly she can produce one of her masterpieces.  We wish her the best of luck next year in Israel and then the Honors Program at the University of Maryland.

Aaron Senfeld: Aaron served as Senior Creative Editor this year and his graphics are known for their minimalist style.  It is a joke within Highlites that many of Aaron's best graphics are ones that we never used because, well...let's just say that the broader audience of Highlites may not share his sense of humor!  Aaron's talents extend beyond graphic design and we will miss him as he heads off to Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music.

Ariel Schneider: Ariel Schneider is synonymous with Highlites.  Ariel is the ubiquitous KYHS photographer whose pictures were used in each and every edition of Highlites.  No matter how busy Ariel was with taking pictures at sporting events, he always managed to make time for Highlites graphics.  By nature Ariel is self-deprecating and does not give himself enough credit for the work he produces, but both he and his work are really great. We will miss Ariel (and his orange shorts and t-shirt) as he heads off to Israel next year, followed by college at Rutgers University.

Maurice Bensmihen: Maurice was the life of the party at Highlites.  Last year Maurice served as video editor, but he wanted to contribute more so he became our "Instagram" (This Week in Pictures) expert.  His fun loving nature is contagious and made late nights at Highlites pass by in an instant.  We will miss Maurice and his unique taste in music as he heads off to New York University's campus in Florence, Italy for his freshman year of college.

Jonah Rose: As a member of the varsity basketball team the past two years, Jonah did not have as much time to come to Highlites after school on Thursdays, but he still managed to contribute with his witty articles.  If we ever needed a well written, yet absurd piece of writing, Jonah was our man.  Jonah's humor will be missed as he heads off for study in Israel and then the University of Pennsylvania.

Matthew A. Samilow: Our faithful scribe, Matthew A. Samilow has served as Highlites writing editor for the past two years.  As a crack investigative reporter, M. Aaron Samilow has uncovered deep state conspiracies, graft and chicanery at the highest levels.  As an interviewer, Inspector M.A. Samilow made his subjects perspire as he interrogated them to uncover the details the public demanded to know.  Matty A.'s performance reviews of Highlites staff ensured that all of those beneath him were on task - and if they weren't, his keen eye and omnipresent quill steered them back on course.  We will miss Matthew Aaron Samilow as he and his high horse head to Israel and then Cornell University.  
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Goodbye RDK
Graphic by Akiva Stadlan ('19)
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This Week in Pictures
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The Yeshiva Highlites Staff